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Firstly let me say that I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question. If it is not then it'd be nice if a moderator could move it to the appropriate forum.

I have a 22" LCD Samsung SyncMaster P2250 monitor and Altec lansing 2.1 speakers that are just lying around. I was wondering if I could use them together as a TV.

I have an Airtel Digital TV DTH connection, I found a tutorial on instructables but it lacked any detail, the only thing that I found was that my monitor does support HDCP. If I can get the display to work then the problem would be with sound, how can I get the speakers to work and also I be able to change the volume with a remote control. (Changing channels won't be an issue as that depends on the Set top Box)

Has someone experimented with this sort of a thing? If so please share your experience and I'd specifically like to know what additional hardware I'll need to get the setup working.

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    what outputs does your DTH box have? likewise, what inputs does your TV have?
    – Journeyman Geek ♦
    Dec 2, 2012 at 14:34
  • It doesn't matter the iputs on his TV, as he doesn't want to use the TV, but the Samsung monitor instead.
    – That Brazilian Guy
    Dec 2, 2012 at 14:38
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    My monitor has vga and dvi inputs. As for the set top box I'll look and tell you.
    – nikhil
    Dec 2, 2012 at 14:53
  • The set top box has the following outputs TV out, SVideo out, Audio L and R and one USB Port. I don't know if its SVideo, there are three small outlets with Yellow Red and White colored wires going out into my TV.
    – nikhil
    Dec 2, 2012 at 17:43
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    According to this table diyaudioandvideo.com/TV/WireConversion which one is the video output of your set top box?
    – That Brazilian Guy
    Dec 2, 2012 at 21:23

2 Answers 2

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HDCP is a copy-protection scheme, in order to watch a stream from a HDCP source you need the display and any repeaters or splitters to be HDCP-compliant. From some googling around, what I see is not every DVI or HDMI device is necessarily HDCP-compliant. If your set top box has HDCP enabled, you need every other device to be it too.

If your set top box isn't HDCP, then it doesn't matter and you can ignore it.

The Airtel link you provided doesn't state the technical specifications of the set-top box. Your monitor has only 1 VGA and 1 DVI-D interfaces, and no audio input at all.

So your set top box has either one HDMI output with video and audio together in the same connector, or a L+R RCA connector for audio and a VGA or DVI connector for video. Or a combination of those.

  • If it has an RCA audio output, connect it to your speakers and that's it. If it has either a VGA or a DVI output, connect it directly to your TV and that's it.

  • If it either hasn't a separate audio output, or hasn't a DVI or VGA output, you are going to need to buy some sort of splitter/converter with a DVI or VGA output and/or dedicated audio output. In case your set top box is HDCP-enabled, the spliiter/converter has to be HDCP-compliant as well!

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  • I have updated the info about my STB, is there some how I can determine if that set top box is HDCP compliant or not?
    – nikhil
    Dec 2, 2012 at 17:46
  • According to Wikipedia, HDCP can only be present on DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, GVIF, or UDI. So, as you state in a comment on your own question, if your STB is neither, it probably (but not guaranteed) isn't HDCP. To be 100% sure, I'd recommend you refer to the user manual of the STB.
    – That Brazilian Guy
    Dec 2, 2012 at 21:28
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A modern monitor (ie. LCD panel with cold cathode or LED backlight) is mostly distinguished from a TV screen by higher pixel density. For the last few years most monitor and TV panels for the same sized screens are the same parts (this is why 1920x1080 monitors are so much cheaper than 1920x1200, far more than the 25% more pixels would suggest).

Ie. the only real differences between TVs and monitors are:

  • TVs have a tuner.
  • TVs have a remote control.
  • The selection of interfaces (TVs typically have multiple HDMI, SCART, composite, component connections; monitors typically only one of each).
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